Will it be worth the wait? While the exact specs and features are still totally up in the air, the latest rumor says that Apple’s iWatch will come with some interesting biometric technology. Indeed, according KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, biometrics could play a big part in Apple’s invasion of your wrist. This is for both security and health tracking. The prediction lines up with the fact that Apple bought biometric sensor company AuthenTec last year.

Given the rise in popularity of devices like the Nike Fuelband, Fitbit and Jawbone Up, it makes a lot of sense that Apple also wants to capitalize on this biometric fad too.

As far as the other rumors go, Kuo also says that the iWatch will have a 1.5 to 2-inch display, but earlier reports also indicated that this could be the first Apple device to utilize flexible display technology too. It will be interesting to see how something like the iWatch stacks up against Google Glass.

[Source]

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It’s been a while since we last heard about Qualcomm’s Mirasol display, but it’s still alive and the company has showed off their MEMS-based reflective display at SID Display Week. Included in the demo were a 5.2-inch panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 and 577 ppi on a smartphone and a 1.5-inch panel on a smartwatch, although the displays were just mock-ups.

According to a representative, the display is expected to come out with third-party devices. The main advantage of the Mirasol screen is its energy efficiency, having 6 times power advantage over LCD and OLED displays, which means you if a smartphone arrives with Mirasol tech it could go without charging for quite a number of days. But Mirasol requires an external light source (not backlight like an LCD).More R&D is still required for the tech so don’t expect it to show up on any devices anytime soon. For now, Sharp’s IGZO tech seems to be the best thing out there.

About the Mirasol technology, Ars Technica’s Jon Stokes explains:

“Each Mirasol pixel is composed of three subpixels: red, green, and blue. Each subpixel is a simple structure made up of two films that are separated by an air gap. When the air gap is open, the subpixel reflects light at a specific wavelength; when current is applied to the two films, they pinch together and the air gap closes, turning the pixel nonreflective (black).

Like an E-Ink pixel, each Mirasol subpixel is bistable, meaning that it’s stable in either the “open” or “closed” states, and it requires power only to switch states; this bistability gives it its low-power characteristics. State switching is fast, on the order of a few microseconds, which is why Mirasol can do video”.

Check out the video, which comes to us courtesy of Engadget, to take a closer look at Mirasol.

The post Qualcomm Mirasol Display (Hands-On Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The patent drawing is just a sketch, but it does offer a glimpse into the possible design and features that an Apple iWatch might have. One of these features is the slap bracelet, which “consists of layered flexible steel bands sealed within a fabric cover.” You’ve probably seen some variation of these already. “In a first equilibrium position they can be flat. The second equilibrium is typically reached by slapping the flat embodiment across a wrist, at which point the bracelet curls around the wrist and stays relatively secure in a roughly circular position.”

This would necessitate that the Apple iWatch, or whatever it ends up being called, will have to make use of some sort of flexible display technology. We’ve seen advances in this field in the last couple of years, but not much has gone commercial just yet. Apple could be among the first to popularize the tech, which is possibly why they’re exploring AMOLED. They’re also saying that the iWatch could detect and adapt to the size of the wrist, providing the best use of the available display space. It’ll have to be a touchscreen too, of course.

Aside from that, we’re left to assume that the iWatch should have the usual set of wireless radios, like Bluetooth, for connectivity. There would also presumably be gyroscopes and accelerometers to orient the uninterrupted screen toward the user.

[Source]

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I remember way back in the day when Casio calculator watches and even TV watches were what was considered “the in thing”, but the latest wave of Smartwatches make those devices look prehistoric. Rumors of an Apple iWatch have been doing the rounds of late and now it appears Samsung is jumping on the Smartwatch bandwagon with a Galaxy watch of its own.

The rumors of a Samsung Smartwatch kicked-off after alleged leaked images turned up on a Korean message board. According to reports the watch will be named the Galaxy Altius and will feature on-board storage, its own AltiusOS and will sport a 500 x 500 resolution display.

Could the Altius arrive in the middle of next month along with the Samsung Galaxy S4? Recently a rumor indicated that an S4, S4 Mini and third non-phone device were all in the works, could this be what the rumor was indicating?

[ Source ]

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Interested in the idea of a smartwatch? This space is certainly growing, with new devices arriving all the time. Many of the smartwatches out there are quite basic in the hardware department and offer simple interaction with your smartphone, like the Pebble. What if you want something with a bit more power? That’s where the Neptune Pine comes in.

The Neptune Pine is huge as far as smart-watches go, with a 2.5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 432 x 240. The Pine runs a 1GHz single-core SOC, has a 5MP camera, a quad-band 3G radio, an 800mAh battery, FM radio, a digital compass, heart rate monitor, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and will have both 8GB, 16GB and 32GB variants.

Even more interestingly, the Pine runs on the Linux-based Leaf OS and has 17 built-in apps including Clock, Phone, Music, Camera, Player, Weather, Notes, FM Radio and more.

The Neptune Pine hasn’t hit the market yet, but it is already open for reservations and seems to be targeting a Q3 2013 shipping target. Not not surprising, this smart watch doesn’t come cheap, starting at $335 for the 8GB version.

The Neptune Pine certainly isn’t for everyone, but it could be exactly what you are looking for if the idea of a large, touchscreen capable smartwatch is something you’ve always dreamed of. What do you think, interested or not?

[ source ]

The post Neptune Pine Smartwatch Has Its Own 3G Radio and Much More appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Until the most recent update to the iPod Nano, one of the coolest things about the little iDevice was that it was very easy to turn the phone into a capable smartwatch.

Through the use of 3rd party watch straps, users would slap the music players onto their writs and would use the built-in clock app to make it work like a watch. There were even a few different clock skins for the Nano.

While the days of using the Nano as a watch are over, a new rumor claims that Apple might be working on an official smartwatch of their own. This space is continuing to increase with competition and interest, with projects like the Pebble smart watch coming to mind.

This is an area where Apple could certainly establish itself as a niche device for fans of their products. The claim is that Intel is developing this watch for Apple, interestingly enough.

The rumor suggests the watch will feature a 1.5-inch OLED display with ITO coated glass, but not much more is known about its specs or what kind of features it could bring to the table.

If this rumor has any true to it, it is more than likely the device would also work nice with syncing to other iDevices like the iPhone.

Though an Apple smartwatch doesn’t seem like that far of a stretch, keep in mind this is just a rumor and shouldn’t be taken too seriously until we have more concrete evidence.

Apple device rumors arrive all the time and yet never truly materialize as real products– we still regularly hear claims about a Smart TV from Apple, after all.

Would you be interested in purchasing an Apple smartwatch down the road if this is true?

[ source ]

The post Could Apple Eventually Release a Smartwatch? (Rumor) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Somehow, this product reminds me of Inspector Gadget, though it certainly doesn’t come with Penny and Brain. The Sony Ericsson LiveView Remote pairs up with your Android device and gives you easy remote access to all your pertinent data. And it’s on sale for 67% off.

While it is designed to work with Sony’s XPERIA line of smartphones, the Sony Ericsson LiveView will work just as easily with any number of Android smartphones and tablets. It pairs up via Bluetooth and its micro display can be used to show your text messages, Facebook updates, tweets and caller ID information. It can also be used to control your music — play, pause, next, previous, and volume — including a title track display.

In addition to the LiveView itself, the package contains a wristband so you can wear it like a watch and a clip for connecting to your backpack strap or wherever else. There’s also a microUSB charger and user guide in there. The LiveView itself measures 1.4 x 1.4 x 0.4 inches and weighs 0.5 ounces.

Pick up the Sony Ericsson LiveView for just $24.99 on Amazon.com, which is nearly $50 off the regular list price of $74.95. And yes, it qualifies for super saver shipping too.

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Some people say that with our increasing reliance on smartphones that we don’t really need to have a conventional wristwatch anymore. That doesn’t have to be the case, especially when you have a “smart” watch to go with your smartphone. Case in point is the Sony MN2SW, which happens to be on sale for $45 off.

The Sony MN2SW SmartWatch works in tandem with a Google Android smartphone of your choosing, pairing it up so that you don’t have to go fumbling for your smartphone to achieve your basic smartphone needs. The SmartWatch, for example, can be used to read all of your texts, emails and social media updates. This is very useful if you keep your phone in your purse, backpack or similar bag.

The multi-touch color 1.3-inch OLED display can also be used to control your smartphone’s music, letting you skip through tracks and find the right song for your daily commute on the train. This is all done via Bluetooth 3.0 with an operating range of up to 30 feet. All you need is to find SmartWatch compatible apps through the Google Play Store. Battery life is rated at about 3-4 days of typical usage.

You can pick up the Sony MN2SW SmartWatch on Amazon.com for $104.94, a 30% savings off the regular list price of $149.99.

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Yes, the Pebble e-watch is also an app platform and its first app partner comes by way of RunKeeper, which is developing an app specific to the upcoming smartwatch. In fact, this won’t even be a download that you’ll need to do on your own; the RunKeeper app will be pre-installed and integrated with the Pebble right out of the box when it launches this September.

As with the RunKeeper app that you may already have on your smartphone, the e-watch version will let you start your RunKeeper runs, monitor your progress, stop your activity, and so on. As with almost everything else on the Pebble, the app will require a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone to work.

[Source]

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The idea behind the Pebble is pretty straightforward. It’s a smartwatch that can connect wirelessly with your smartphone over Bluetooth, displaying basic info pushed over that connection. The e-paper display helps with battery life, as well as being easier to see in direct sunlight. It’ll look like a piece of paper, rather than like the backlit display of an iPod nano watch. It even has some nifty watch face styles if you want to be a little more creative with your time.

Speaking of being creative, an API for the Pebble e-paper smartwatch is available too. This should give the devs some interesting opportunities. The early bird special on Kickstarter has come and gone, but you can still secure a Pebble smartwatch by pledging at least $115 before the funding round ends on May 18.

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